How to Improve Your Brain Your Memory

Everyone can take steps

to improve th eir memory,
and
with t ime and
practice most people can
gain th e abili ty to
memorize
seemingly
impossible amounts
of
inform ation. Wheth er you
want to win th e World
Memory Championships,
ace your history test, or
simply remember where
you put your keys, th is
art icle can get
you
start ed. Scientists believe
th at exercising your brain
can create a cognitive reserve th at will help you stay sharp as you age.
1. Convince yourself that you do have a good memory that wil l improve.
Too many people get stuck here and convince th emselves th at th eir
memory is bad, th at th ey are just not good with names, th at numbers
just slip out of th eir minds for some reason. Erase th ose th oughts and
vow to improve your memory. Commit yourself to th e task and bask in
your achievements its hard to keep motivated if you beat yourself
down
every
t ime
you
make
a
li tt le
bit
of progress.

2. Keep your brain active.

The brain is not a muscle, but regularly exercising th e brain actually
does keep it growing and spurs th e development of new nerve
connections th at can help improve memory. By developing new mental
sk ill sespecially complex ones such as learn ing a new language or
learn ing to play a new musical instr umentand challenging your brain
with puzzles and games you can keep your brain active and improve its
physiological functioning.

3. Exercise daily.
Regular aerobic exercise improves circulation and efficiency th roughout
th e body, including in th e brain, and can help ward off th e memory loss
th at comes with aging. Exercise also makes you more alert and relaxed,

and can th ereby improve your memory uptake, allowing you to take
bett er mental pictures.

4. Reduce stress.
Chronic str ess, alth ough it does not physically damage th e brain, can
make remembering much more difficu lt. Even temporary str esses can
make it more difficu lt to effectively focus on concepts and observe th ings.
Try to relax, regularly practice yoga or other str etching exercises, and see
a
doctor
if
you
have
severe
chronic
str ess.

5. Eat well and eat right.

There are a lot of herbal supplements on th e mark et th at claim to
improve memory, but none have yet been shown to be effective in clinical
tests (alth ough small studies have shown some promising results for
ginkgo biloba and phosphatidylserine) . A health y diet, however,
contr ibutes to a health y brain, and foods containing antioxidants
broccoli, blueberr ies, spinach, and berr ies, for exampleand Omega-3
fatt y acids appear to promote health y brain functioning. Feed your brain
with such supplements as Thiamine, Vitamin E, Niacin and Vitamin B-6.
Grazing, eating 5 or 6 small meals th roughout th e day instead of 3 large
meals, also seems to improve mental functioning (including memory) by
limiting dips in blood sugar, which may negatively affect th e brain.

6. Take better pictures.

Often we forget th ings not because our memory is bad, but rath er
because our observational sk ill s need work . One common situation
where th is occurs (and which almost everyone can relate to) is meeting
new people. Often we dont really learn peoples names at first because
we arent really concentr ating on remembering th em. Youll find th at if
you make a conscious effort to remember such th ings, youll do much
bett er. One way to tr ain yourself to be more observant is to look at an
unfamili ar photograph for a few seconds and th en turn th e photograph
over and describe or write down as many details as you can about th e
photograph. Try closing your eyes and picturing th e photo in your mind.
Use a new photograph each t ime you tr y th is exercise, and with regular
practice you will find youre able to remember more details with even
short er
glimpses
of
th e
photos.

7. Give yourself time to form a memory.

Memories are very fragile in th e short -term , and distr actions can make
you quickly forget someth ing as simple as a phone number. The key to
avoid losing memories before you can even form th em is to be able to

focus on th e th ing to be remembered for a while with out th inking about

oth er th ings, so when youre tr ying to remember someth ing, avoid
distr actions
and
complicated
tasks
for
a
few
minutes.

8. Create vivid, memorable images.

You remember inform ation more easily if you can visualize it . If you want
to associate a child with a book, tr y not to visualize th e child reading th e
book th ats too simple and forgett able. Instead, come up with
someth ing more jarr ing, someth ing th at sticks, li ke th e book chasing th e
child , or th e child eating th e book. Its your mind make th e images as
shocking and emotional as possible to keep th e associations str ong.

9. Repeat things you need to learn.

The more t imes you hear, see, or th ink about someth ing, th e more surely
youll remember it , r ight? Its a no-brainer. When you want to remember
someth ing, be it your new cowork ers name or your best fr iends
birth day; repeat it , eith er out loud or silently. Try writing it down; th ink
about it .

10. Group things you need to remember.

Random li sts of th ings (a shopping li st, for example) can be especially
difficu lt to remember. To make it easier, tr y categorizing th e individual
th ings from th e li st. If you can remember th at, among oth er th ings, you
wanted to buy four different k inds of vegetables, youll find it easier to
remember all four.

11. Organize your li fe.

Keep items th at you frequently need, such as keys and eyeglasses, in th e
same place every t ime. Use an electr onic organizer or daily planner to
keep tr ack of appointm ents, due dates for bill s, and oth er tasks. Keep
phone numbers and addresses in an address book or enter th em into
your computer or cell phone. Improved organization can help free up
your powers of concentr ation so th at you can remember less routine
th ings. Even if being organized doesnt improve your memory, youll
receive a lot of th e same benefits (i.e. you wont have to search for your
keys anymore).

12. Try meditation.

Research now suggests th at people who regularly practice mindfulness
meditation are able to focus bett er and may have bett er memories.

Mindfulness (also known as awareness or insight meditation) is th e type

commonly practiced in Western countr ies and is easy to learn . Studies at
Massachusett s General Hospital show th at regular meditation th ickens
th e cerebral cort ex in th e brain by increasing th e blood flow to th at
region. Some researchers believe th is can enhance att ention span, focus,
and memory.

13. Sleep well.

The amount of sleep we get affects th e brains abili ty to recall recently
learn ed inform ation. Gett ing a good nigh ts sleep a minimum of seven
hours a night may improve your short -term memory and long-term
relational memory, according to recent studies conducted at th e Harvard
Medical School.
14. Build your memorization arsenal.
Learn pegs, memory palaces, and th e Dominic System. These techniques
form th e foundation for mnemonic techniques, and will visibly improve
your memory.

15. Venture out and learn from your mistakes.

Go ahead and take a stab at memorizing th e first one hundred digits of
pi, or, if youve done th at already, th e first one th ousand. Memorize th e
monarchs of England th rough your memory palaces, or your grocery li st
th rough visualization. Through dili gent effort you will eventually master
th e art of memorization.

Thanks a
Lot for
reading